Zeinab Blandia- Executive Director & Founder
Zeinab holds a Masters degree in Gender and Development and a Bachelors degree in Family Science. She founded Ru'ya Association in 2001 in Omdurman, Sudan and currently serves as Executive Director and advisor to the Board. In 2009, she was named "Woman Peacemaker of the Year" by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. She speaks Arabic, English and a number of regional Sudanese languages, including Tla which is her mother tongue.
Louise Hogan- Executive Assistant & Editor of ruyaassociation.blogspot.com
Louise is studying for a BA in Human Rights, Politics and History at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway. Currently she is based in Kampala, Uganda, working for Ru'ya Association and our partner NGO, The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network. In addition to English, she speaks elementary French and Russian.
Waleed Azragawood Abogroon- Food Security Coordinator
Waleed studied at the University of Juba, now in South Sudan. He speaks Arabic and English and has implemented numerous projects for Ru'ya which aim to provide food security for the most vulnerable sectors of society. He works closely with Nisreen to co-ordinate agricultural training and he is responsible for organising the logistical aspects of providing communities with the physical tools they need to become more productive.
Rogaya Durman Asaffi- Community Mobiliser
Rogaya (above, right) studied at the faculty of Arts in Omdurman Ahlia University. Fluent in English and Arabic, she is responsible for generating project ideas, overseeing their implementation and mobilising the community to participate in Ru'yas activities. She is the first link between Ru'ya and the communities we work with. Rogaya also identifies women leaders and co-ordinates with Hawa to provide them with capacity building skills and training.
Hawa Mohamed- Capacity Building Co-ordinator
Hawa is responsible for all planning, training and organising of the capacity building trainings that form the basis of all our projects. With each new project we identify women leaders who can assist Ru'ya in implementing the project in the community and Hawa is responsible for ensuring these women leaders possess the neccessary skills to do so.
Nesrin Ibrahim Mohammed- Agricultural Engineer
Nesrin studied Natural Resources at Kordofan State University and is responsible for providing agricultural training for women and communities. This includes teaching women to identify which crops are more suitable to dry or wet seasons and training communities in ways to better utilise water supplies during the dry season. Nesrin speaks Arabic and English.
Iman Ahmed Omer Kmku- Community Health Nurse
Eman studied at the Hakima Health Training Institute in South Kordofan. She speaks Arabic and English and she provides health services and advice to residents of Nuba Mountains.
Ghada Guma- Admin and Finance Officer
Ghada studied at Aneelain University. She speaks Arabic and some English and is responsible for all Ru'yas administrative and financial matters.
